In the 1930s, Fordham University was a college football power, as they were consistently a nationally ranked team. In 1936, school publicist Timothy Cohane needed a nickname to spur recognition of his Fordham Rams, who were undefeated halfway through the season and on the verge of possibly their best season ever. The strength of the Fordham team was its offensive line - seven men: center, two guards, two tackles and two ends. In his columns, American sportswriter Grantland Rice had already written "The Fordham Wall Still Stands" in honor of the team and its early season success, but a catchy nickname was still needed — something to rival Notre Dame's famous Four Horsemen. The year before Cohane tried using the "Seven Samsons" to highlight the squad's offensive linemen, but it never caught on. Following on that theme and remembering the caption from a newswire photo he'd seen several years before, Cohane tried the "Seven Blocks of Granite".[citation needed]

Ironically, in its final two games the 1936 team was tied by an inferior University of Georgia team and beaten by a lowly NYU team - ending their hopes of a Rose Bowl appearance.[3] The line was not as good as some of the previous lines at Fordham, or the 1937 team which went 7-0-1. However, the 1936 team and the Seven Blocks of Granite became college football immortals.

Associated with the name, the Rotary Club's Lombardi Award is awarded annually to the best college football lineman or linebacker. The main part of the trophy, awarded to a down lineman on either side of the ball or a linebacker who lines up no further than five yards deep from the ball, is a block of granite, giving homage to Lombardi's college days as a lineman.

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The Rams' Offense scored 128 over 8 games, while the Defense held every opponent to no more than 7 points per game, and shut out three teams, including No.3 ranked Pittsburgh. The Rams went 5-0-2 before losing, what Lombardi called; "The most devastating loss of my life," when they lost 7-6 to NYU, and with it, the hopes of playing in the Rose Bowl. The Rams' were No. 3 going into their final game, but ended up No. 15 in the Final AP National Ranking.

Once again, the Rams' Offense dominated with over 100 points scored in just the first two games, and the Defense held every opponent to no more than 7 points per game, and shut out five teams, including No.1 ranked Pittsburgh, and No. 19 ranked North Carolina. The Rams' went undefeated with a 7-0-1 record, reaching No.3 in the National AP Rankings, only giving up 16 points all season.